HUGHTON: VICTORY WELL DESERVED

9 September 2017

Kieran Cleeves

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton was relieved to see his team secure their first victory in the Premier League, and believes the 3-1 triumph over West Bromwich Albion was more than deserved.

Two goals from Pascal Gross and a second-half header from Tomer Hemed ensured victory for the Seagulls, and Hughton showed his delight towards both the result and performance at the Amex.

He said, “We’re certainly feeling a lot better now, four points off the mark and a first win, but we need to take this one forward.

“I think it has to be [feeling of relief], there were [good] signs in the last game but one point from nine, irrespective of what team you are, is not such good viewing.

“But I think we thoroughly deserved it and the scoreline reflected the game, we were on very good form from the first moment.

“There were some really good performances and that allowed us to build on the performance at Watford just before the international break.

“It’s a good platform because it’s our first win, but we are very, very conscious of how difficult this division is - we’ve seen that from our first four games.”

Gross became the first player to score in the Premier League for Albion, after finding the bottom corner from close range before the break, and Hughton spoke about the club’s long pursuit of the German.

“Credit to our recruitment department, they have tracked him [Pascal Gross] for some time and I remember when I first came to the club, two-and-a-half years ago and he was very much on the radar then.

“He’s a player that can play in a few positions, including central midfield. He was playing last season in a 4-3-3, a little bit wider on that right-hand side.

“I’m really pleased for him because he certainly puts in a shift every game and he has been good for us since pre-season.”

Hemed added a third goal for the Seagulls, heading home at the front post, and Hughton praised the Israeli’s performance, before speaking about the importance of his attacking players.

“Credit to Tomer (Hemed), he came back in really good shape, had a good pre-season and has looked good in training.

“We probably benefited from the slight injury he had midweek and it made him look fresher today.

“We are certainly going to need Tomer, Glenn [Murray] and Sam Baldock, who is coming back from injury. We will need all the attacking options we can get.”